Brittany's Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients:

• 3 small or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1.5 T ground cumin
• 1 T. garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large case iron skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute and then add ground turkey. Use a wooden spoon to break apart meat and continue cooking approximately 8 minutes until browned. 

2. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to incorporate. 

3. Add onion and bell pepper, and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add diced sweet potato and water. Stir and cover with a lid for approximately 6-8 minutes until the sweet potatoes soften. Add additional water during this process if needed to keep the meat from drying out. 

4. Remove lid and add additional salt and pepper if needed.  Top with shredded mozzarella and allow it to melt. Remove skillet from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro before serving.

DIY Oatmeal Packets

We love eating oatmeal for breakfast, but I don't like buying the individual packets. Way too expensive for such a small amount. I also don't love making it homemade every morning. Too much work on busy school days. But I've discovered the secret to making your own individual packets that everyone can make on their own: you have to blend some of the oatmeal into powder. That's it! That's the creamy difference between the kind you buy in packets and the kind you spend 10 minutes cooking on the stove.

I've been making these DIY Oatmeal Packets at home. My family likes them, they only take adding water and cooking 2 minutes in the microwave, and they are fast and easy to assemble.  And they cost about 1/4 the price of buying them in the store. It's a win-win for us all!

INGREDIENTS

• 10 cups quick oats 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (Katelee likes to add a bit more brown sugar to hers after she has warmed it up.)
• 1 cup powdered milk 
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 21-24 snack-size zip bags 
• Other toppings if you desire (dried fruit, nuts, etc.)

INSTRUCTIONS

Put 6 cups of the oats into a large bowl. Place the remaining 4 cups of oats into a blender. Blend until almost powdery, then pour into the large bowl.

Add the salt, brown sugar, powdered milk, and cinnamon into the large bowl. Mix well until everything is combined.

Measure 1/2 cup of the oatmeal mixture into each snack-size plastic baggie and seal.

TO USE DIY INSTANT OATMEAL PACKETS: Pour the packet into a bowl, and add 1 c. water. Heat for 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Stir and serve.

NOTES: Because the plastic bag doesn’t get wet or dirty, you can reuse it.

No-bake Energy Bites

Brittany likes these no-bake Lactation Energy Bites

Ingredients:

• 2 c. rolled oats
• 2 T. brewers yeast
• 1/2 c. ground flaxseed
• 1/2 c. honey
• 1 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 T. coconut oil

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl combine the oats, brewers yeast and the flaxseed
2. Mix in the honey, peanut butter, vanilla and coconut oil
3. Fold in the chocolate chips
4. Press and roll into balls
5. Enjoy!

Notes: We will keep for up to two weeks in a sealed container in the fridge. Use cooking spray to coat your hands before rolling into balls. 

Brittany's weight loss smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup or less prune juice
• 1 1/2 T Peanut Butter Powder (this is also really yummy if you use a vanilla slim fast)
• 1 whole banana, or 1/2 cup of fruit of your choice
• 1 cup or 8-9 cubes ice
• 1 cup water

Blend all ingredients together and enjoy. This recipes a 24 - 26 oz drink.

Perfect Salmon

Brittany shared this delicious recipe on how to get perfect salmon every time!

• drizzle salmon filet with olive oil
• spinkle with salt and pepper
• put it in a cold oven, then turn on the heat to 400 degrees
• 25 minutes later, the salmon is absolutely perfect

Tender, moist, flaky, a no-fail method! Excellent for impressing dinner guests.

Roasted Vegetables or potatoes

Delicious side dish to any meal!

Roasted vegetables:

• red onion
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• other veggies of choice
• olive oil or vegetable oil
• seasonings of choice

Dice up all the vegetables the same size and coat them in oil and salt and pepper (and other seasonings if desired). Bake them until cooked through. 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. 

Roasted potatoes:

• sweet potatoes or red potatoes
• oil
• seasonings of choice

Dice the potatoes into cubes. Coat in oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for around 20 minutes or until soft and cooked through. 

Quick and Easy Breakfast Granola

One of the hardest things for me when it comes to making healthy choices is breakfast. I LOVE breakfast cereal. Right now I am doing a challenge where I am trying not to eat as much sugar, and if sugar is listed within the first three ingredients on an ingredient list, I am avoiding that food. Sugar is within the first three ingredients on EVERY breakfast cereal I like to eat. So, what to eat for breakfast?

Here is a good recipe that you can whip up in 2 minutes and that I think is delicious!  I usually half this unless I am sharing, as half is plenty for me and this is not a low calorie recipe.

Quick and Easy Breakfast Granola

• 1/2 Oats, either old-fashioned or quick
• 2 T. nut butter (almond, walnut, cashew) OR organic peanut butter
• 1 T. honey
• salt

(optional add ins: cinnamon, chopped nuts, dark mini chocolate chips, dried fruits or ginger)

Stir together in a bowl until well blended. Eat plain, on yogurt, or (my favorite!) over fresh peaches or berries.  

Banana Ice Cream

Did you know that you could make ice cream with only a banana. Seriously, that is the only ingredient. If you have a ripe banana and a food processor or blender, you are ready to make this!  It's sweet and yummy and surprisingly creamy!!

This is my new favorite healthy treat! Read the easy how-to instructions here.

Perfect Oatmeal

I don't do a traditional list of New Year Resolutions, but each year I choose a theme to work on  throughout the year. My theme for 2015 is Physical Health. It's kind of hard for me to say this to others, because if I fail everyone is going to know. But I have decided I can handle being a little vulnerable, so there it is! Since the beginning of the year I have been working on consistently changing life habits. No crazy crash diets, or anything extreme that I cannot see myself doing for the rest of my life. Just little, good healthy habits that I plan to maintain forever, not just for a short time.  And I've already lost 9 pounds, woot!

As part of my efforts, I have been discovering and trying out some new recipes that I will share on here. These recipes are healthier alternatives to what I was eating before. Not all are low calorie or gluten free or sugar free, but all are a better choice than what I was eating before. For me, it's all about balance and moderation in all things.

Here is an oatmeal recipe that I found that I can enjoy. I am not really a fan of cooked oatmeal, usually because of the texture, but this recipe comes out with a really perfect, soothing texture every time. A great, healthy, comforting breakfast!

• 1 1/2 cups milk 
• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 
• 2 tablespoons white sugar (I personally have left this out, as I am trying not to eat sugar right now. It wasn't sweet, but it was still good without the sugar!)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg 
• 1 pinch salt

Combine milk, oats, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

Recipe found on allrecipes.com.  You can find the original recipe here.